Pep Guardiola has been rumoured to be close to replacing Manuel Pellegrini as Manchester City coach, with a move looking likely this summer.
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While City’s form in the Premier League this season after having won the title last season has been disappointing, the Chilean has also failed to assert the Citizens in Europe.
Both this season and last, City were eliminated by Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16, following unconvincing showings in the group stage.
It is believed that the club’s owners see Guardiola as the man who could see the club realise their continental ambitions.
But is there any truth to that suggestion?
Admittedly, the Catalan coach enjoyed immense success with Barcelona—winning the title twice in three years—but things have been a little barren since then.
In both 2010 and 2012 he was defeated by lesser teams in the semi-finals—Inter Milan and Chelsea—and despite inheriting Jupp Heynckes’s European champions, Bayern were humiliated 5-0 in the semi-finals of last season’s campaign.
This year, despite overcoming a 3-1 deficit to eliminate FC Porto in the quarter-final, the Bavarians were outclassed 3-0 in the semi-final first leg against Barcelona last week and face an uphill struggle if they are to progress to the final.
Guardiola may be a two-time winner, but his recent performances in the Champions League suggest that he may not necessarily have all the answers.